


AWOL Superheroes and Disappointing Coffee

by Paucibet, SupergaySupercat (octoplods)



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2016-12-03
Packaged: 2018-06-07 06:38:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6791383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paucibet/pseuds/Paucibet, https://archiveofourown.org/users/octoplods/pseuds/SupergaySupercat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Supergirl is AWOL after a hard fight and Cat is trying to convince herself as much as everyone else around her that the heightened level of Cat Grant Sting is due to her lack of perfectly hot coffees and not due to her infuriatingly beautiful, annoyingly endearing assistant's absence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first language is not English (I am Slovenian) and this is a first fic Octoplods (supergaysupercat on tumblr) has done in over 12 years. So apologies about any mess ups but hopefully you enjoy it!!!

The office seemed too quiet for a Monday morning. Cat looked around and saw half of her staff were missing including her assistant, who wasn’t standing in front of her office, like always, with a hot cup of coffee from Noonan’s, like every morning until now. She sighed and pulled her sunglasses off before she turned to the I.T hobbit. Winn? Was it? 

Looking him up and down. Her face grimacing in distaste. “Where is everyone? I don’t run a corporation where you can just suddenly decide to miss work.” Her voice was filled with annoyance and Cat Grant felt the start of a headache forming at the back of her head. 

She could already tell this was going to be a long day. 

Winn shuffled awkwardly out of his chair and fumbled with his hands “The. Um. The fight Supergirl was in on Friday happened to be near the gala event that CatCo was invo-involved in and some people...” He swiped the back of his hand over his forehead in order to sturdy himself under Cat Grant’s intense glare, but it was to no avail. He struggled to continue. “The building collapsed and...And a lot of people were injured.” He released the breath he was holding as Cat’s glare softened a bit. She gave a sharp nod and turned on her heel, pausing briefly before slowly walking to her office.

As much as she wanted to just brush off the new information off she couldn't shake the sense of responsibility looming over her head. She organised the gala and she told her employees they need to attend and now they were injured. They were there because of her. She pursed her lips in frustration, clenching her fists as she tried to think of what to do next. Coffee. She needed coffee first. Glancing over her shoulder she shouted at Winn. 

“Get me latte, Witt, chop chop.”

Winn sighed and his shoulders fell forward. He looked at Kara’s empty desk before turning and headed for the elevator to get Miss Grant her coffee. He hoped Kara was ok, he hadn’t heard from her since her fight on Friday and neither had James. He had called Alex but the agent hadn't answered her phone and now he was out of options. He leaned back in the elevator, finding some comfort in the cold metal as he mulled over the idea of hacking the DEO again to get some information. 

Cat was in her office working, busying herself in an attempt to ignore the fact that she was concerned - worried, which she definitely was not - not at all -not one bit. But it was somehow hard not to think about the ever annoyingly present sensation of a lump in her throat, as she was studying the footage of the latest fight of Supergirl’s. She put it down to terrible coffee.

Yet each time Supergirl took a hit Cat drew in a shaky breath, unsettling feeling creeping up her spine as she watched the girl get smashed through buildings from the impact. She paused the video a few times and re-watched it, somehow hoping that punishing herself repeatedly by watching the Girl of Steel get hit, over, and over, would result in a different outcome. 

The last bit of video was the most intense. The punches exchanged sent both figures flying through air. Cat hated this. Hated how she was worried. Hated how Kara somehow managed to get under her skin, worming her way into her heart. She watched as Supergirl was hefted by the throat and dragged away into the sky. The video ended as the Catco news choppers attempted to follow them but swiftly lost sight. Cat closed the video and looked out her office into the sky, hoping Kara was ok. 

The city needed it’s superhero after all, Cat told herself. 

She shook her head as she thought of the terrible excuse Winn came up with last Friday as to why her assistant was missing - yet again - in the middle of the day, and, as if summoned by her disdain - like an imp of disappointment - he shuffled back into her office, a fidgety hand holding her cup of coffee, arm stretched rigid as if to give himself maximum distance between himself and Cat.

“Here you go Miss Grant, um, hot and fresh as you like it?”

He prepared himself for a stern glare but was met with surprisingly grateful - and tired - eyes instead as Cat took coffee from his hands and sipped, feeling the headache that threatened her slip away with the satisfying hit of caffeine. To further his surprise, her features relaxed. 

Honestly, he didn’t know what to make of it.

Cat sipped her coffee again, just letting herself relax as the caffeine entered her bloodstream. She looked at Winn. “Any news on Kara, Witt?” His response was a sullen shake of his head. Huffing she looked down at her screen for a moment, biting the plastic lid of her coffee in thought. 

After a pause her head snapped up and she fixed him with a pointed look.

Winn stepped back a little, now faced with the Cat Grant he was used to, she scared him shitless most days, and today - apparently - was no different. “Look, Witt, let’s not play silly games, I know about Kara and I have for a long time, since her lying skills are about as good as Iggy Azalea’s rapping.” She sighed and rolled her eyes as she continued “Honestly, it’s been hard enough pretending that I DON’T know, do you know how many phones and staplers Catco has replaced for her alone?” She purses her lips and looks bored as she mutters, mostly to herself “I should start a tally, how many staplers has Sunny Danvers murdered each month?”

As if shaking herself from her train of thought of how much mutilated stationery Kara had caused, she looked back at Winn “I know you have some connections so…” She paused, seeming to focus on some scrap of paper at her desk, feigning boredom “Can’t you just call some shady looking types in black, and find out what the hell is going on?” 

Winn laughed nervously “I don’t know… I mean, I don’t know any… c-connections?” His hands flailed “I’m just some guy in I.T Miss Grant”

 

Cat scoffed and rolled her eyes “Spare me, you’re almost as awful as Kara” She was looking at him, wondering how the whole of National City hadn’t yet found out about Supergirl’s identity, not a single member of the Super Squad had anything close to a poker face. 

Dragging a hand down her face in frustration, she sighed, she could really use someone to scream at right now.

It didn’t help that this feeble attempt at misdirection made Cat feel infuriated by how little credit they gave her. She didn’t get where she was today by failing to notice when a ruse was afoot. 

It also hurt a little, that Kara didn’t trust her yet. 

She pushed that feeling aside as swiftly as it came.

Shaking her head and quickly clearing it of that nonsense, she fixed Winn with a decidedly irritated glare. “Look, Hobbit, I am getting a little sick and tired of these charades.” She motioned at him, a look of almost disgust setting on her features “I did not get where I am today by not noticing little things. I notice. Everything. And you, are going to tell me what is happening or. You. Are. Fired.” Her voice was filled with the usual Cat Grant Sting and Winn backed away a few feet, the back of his neck feeling suddenly clammy and damp. 

He was inwardly cursing himself for turning up to work today.

Cat never stopped her glare, but the headache was back and she relaxed a little in order to ease her pain. She rubbed her temple as she spoke again. “My Saturday has been a mess since Kara was not here. My schedule is not on point, my coffee was disappointing and the workload has tripled in the two days since Kara has been AWOL” She looked at Winn. He could see the tiredness on her face her eyebrow raised and her lips pursed in question.

Curiously, he wasn’t entirely sure how much of Cat’s apparent irritation at the loss of her assistant was genuine. And not something else entirely.

He could see the start of bags under her eyes.

Squirming on the spot, he glanced around himself before he finally gave up with a loud sigh, his shoulders sagging. He hung his head. “I tried that. Calling I mean, the Shady Types in Black.” He looked back up and hoped to god Cat Grant won’t bring her wrath upon him as he continued. “I-I got nothing.” He cringed.

Cat frowned. 

It seemed like it was going to be another day without Kara and Cat hated how much she’d come to rely on her, for, well, absolutely every aspect of her day. She sat down on her plush oversized chair again, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

Kara would have a brute strength painkiller and glass of water in hand, ready for her right about now.   
As she slide the glass doors closed.

Standing there, in the middle of the room she felt so suddenly unsure of herself. She glanced around, her eyes lingering on the bed. Seeming to move of their own accord, her legs carried her over to the bed and before she knew it she was on her front, her face buried in the sheets.

Her mind was swimming and she couldn’t focus on just one thought anymore. The exhaustion took over and within moments her eyelids had fallen shut, and she slipped into a deep slumber.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 12/05/2016: Just edited some mistakes and all. Hope you enjoy!

At the end of the week there was still no news on Kara and Cat was starting to play with the thought off just getting a replacement assistant for the time being. She knew she should’ve just fired Kara, but something didn’t feel right about that.

She didn’t dwell on why it felt wrong, instead convincing herself that she didn’t want to lose an exceptional assistant.

She did a lot of that lately. Convincing herself. 

Pushing the thought out of her head she went over the layouts again. 

There was a knock at her door, Winn stood nervously looking into her office. With a roll of her eyes she motioned for him to enter. He shuffled across the floor to stand in front of Cat’s desk, looked at her nervously as he rubbed his hands together. 

“For the love of god Worm, just be out with it.” She said, exasperated, flashing a glare at him before she returned to her work, keeping an ear on Winn. 

He cleared his throat, taking his phone from his pocket. 

“Ri-Right. Miss Grant, your three o’clock is here and…” He drifted off, unsure of what to do.

It’s been a week since he had become Miss Grant’s temporary assistant - they still weren’t calling it that, Cat refusing to acknowledge even temporarily replacing Kara. 

Kara’s duties had been split between Winn and James respectively, they’d fallen into it not entirely intentionally, being the only ones who had any idea - other than Kara - of Cat’s, particular, demands.

To be honest, he had no idea how Kara managed to do it. The demands were almost humanly impossible to fulfil. 

Cat dropped her pen and sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose in frustration before she looked up at Winn. 

This past week has been hectic to say the least and Cat has started to feel the stress affecting her as her headaches were getting more frequent, and worse. 

She needed to hire someone who could actually do the job. 

“Send them in... How did I end up here, having to tell everyone how to do their job?” Winn winced at Cat’s tone and quickly scurried out of the office. 

He hoped Kara was back soon. 

Cat was irritated, almost bordering on angry but she refused to break her own rule of not getting angry at work, so she sat, stewing at irritated. 

Irritated, tired, stressed and so done with incompetence. 

She glanced at the clock and decided it was time for a drink. Walking over to her bar, pouring herself a glass of bourbon, she eyed the amber liquid for a moment, debating whether to just down it. 

Fuck it, she thought, before throwing it back in one go allowing herself a few moments to enjoy the burn as it hit the back of her throat. 

She needed that.  
\---

The meeting dragged on longer than Cat expected. Men and their big egos and how they never shut up. After two hours she had heard enough of his voice and he showed absolutely no signs that he was getting tired of hearing it himself.

Her chair clattered as she stood up suddenly, causing him to pause. In a calm deliberate motion she placed both hands on her desk and stared at him. His face dropped slightly and he swallowed, pleasingly nervous.

“Mister Stevens.”

“I-It’s Simmons.”

“Mister Stevens” She repeated louder “As wonderful as it would be, to continue another...” She made a show of glancing at her watch. “Two hours, of what should have been a 45 minute meeting to tell me how, new - more energy efficient copiers - would, most certainly somehow throw CatCo into being so Green that we singlehandedly saved the Rainforest and Global Warming in one fell swoop, I am afraid I must ask you to leave as I have much more important things to be doing, like… picking lint from the armrest of this chair.”

She proceeded to pick at said lint, effectively managing to act as if he no longer existed. And blatantly ignored his stammered apology as he excused himself, almost backing into the glass doors of Cat’s office as he swiftly shuffled backwards the entire way through his escape.

She rubbed her temples as the door closed, and with one swift motion she was at her bar again, taking the bottle of bourbon and filling her glass. Crossing her office and walking out into the cold night air of her balcony, she sat down on one of the chairs. 

The night air was heavy with chill, sending shivers through Cat’s body, she welcomed the warmth the alcohol gave her. Sipping on her drink, she let her mind wander to places she wasn’t really ready to explore.  
The past week was a mess. Kara hadn’t shown up for work, and there was no information on her whereabouts. 

As much as Cat hated to find a replacement for Kara, she needed one. At least until Kara showed up again. 

But that was the thing though, she couldn’t find it in herself to replace Kara. It felt wrong, like she was replacing, not just her assistant but something more. 

A friend, maybe? 

Shaking her head at the absurdity of the thought, Cat rolled the glass between her fingers before she took a large mouthful, closing her eyes and enjoyed the buzz it sent through her. 

She glanced back at her office, her eyes pausing on her desk where the termination contract for Kara had been sitting a few days now. As much as she tried to sign it, every time she picked up the pen to write down her own name, her hand started shaking and she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Each time, the pen fell out of her hand she found herself almost instantly relieved, and that was what ate at her mind right now. 

Why did she feel like this?

Why was Kara so different than every other employee?

Kara loved her job, and begged for Cat not to fire her so she could put it to that. Yes, she couldn’t fire Kara because she, for reasons unknown to Cat, liked working for her. Which was a rare attribute indeed.

She was stuck at this point, not sure what to do. 

So she drank. 

And then another. 

And another. 

By the time Cat finally decided it was time to leave the office she felt her knees were weak and the room was slightly spinning. Ignoring her jelly legs, she continued her way to her private elevator. She paused as she reached it, leaning against the cold door to settle her dizziness, she closed her eyes.

_Kara._

Snapping her eyes open, she mentally slapped herself for being so weak, for letting herself fall into such a cliché, boss and assistant. Boss falling for their assistant. She could almost see the trashy magazine spreads now.

No, shaking her head Cat bit the inside of her mouth. 

“I need to stop this.” Cat told herself. 

Not falling, just attraction. 

Cat nodded in order to convince herself.

Just attracted. Who isn’t attracted to Kara? Her amazing legs, her charming smile, the awkward blushing and constant optimism, but mostly her legs. 

Purely physical, Cat would allow herself that, she wasn’t blind.

She pursed her lips feeling the irritation from earlier creeping back up on her. 

Harder than intended she slammed the button, letting out a hiss at the slight pain from the force of it. She shook out her hand, wincing, before she entered and let the elevator take her down. 

As she walked out the CatCo building the driver was waiting at the car as always. She smiled at the one thing that always seemed to be on point. The driver. So with a welcoming feeling of comfort in at least having some constant in her life right now, she gave him a nod in greeting before he opened the door for her. Slipping inside with some difficulty, thanks to her tipsiness, she settled into the cool leather of the seat, letting her head fall back.

The door closed and a moment later the driver was in his seat and the car was moving. 

Cat watched the CatCo building disappear from her view and something inside her snapped. 

There was a lump in her throat and no matter how much she tried to swallow it, to push it away it only grew bigger and finally with a shallow breath she pushed the button to raise the privacy separator up. The tinted glass clicked in place as the carefully built walls inside her cracked, punctuated by a broken sob that sounded so foreign to her.

Cat was gripping the armrest on the door, trying hard to even her breathing, to calm down, but as much as she tried she was well and truly at her limit.

Biting her lip she let her tears fall as she tried to control the intensity of her moment of weakness.

As the car came to a stop Cat didn’t wait for the driver to open the door, instead she dashed out of the car, hating herself for letting her emotions get the better of her. She practically ran up to the entryway of her apartment, fumbling with the keys, trying to unlock the damned door. Finally managing to get it open, she wasted no time in shoving the door so hard the handle hit the wall behind, mostly likely leaving an indent.

With laboured breaths she leaned against the door and took a moment to herself. The world seemed too big around her and she felt small, so small, everything towering over her, trying to crush her. 

As she tried desperately to steady her breathing, she pushed off the door, kicked her shoes off and made her way to the kitchen. 

Her handbag was forgotten on the counter as she opened the bar, pulling out the first bottle of wine and getting herself a glass. Pouring herself a large glass, she drank it halfway before she let herself relax slightly. 

Stumbling to her bedroom, she took the bottle with her. She hated the emptiness of the house without Carter home, though she knew he was better at his Father’s right now, she’d hate for him to see her breaking like this. 

The silence echoing from walls made her thoughts loud and heavy in her head, scrunching her eyes in an attempt to ground herself she walked over to the stereo, turning it on. Letting the room fill with the soft music of a violin before she stumbled through the bedroom to the balcony and sat on the patio couch there. 

She was on her third glass when her intoxication levels seemed appropriate enough to let herself think. 

A few thoughts were playing in her mind. 

Kara was AWOL. 

The Super friends had no idea what was going on (despite her constant pestering of Winn if there was any news). 

Agent Scully wasn’t answering Winn’s calls.

She should have fired Kara by now

She couldn’t. 

The whole thing should have her fuming with anger, irritation, should have her be frustrated with Kara but all she felt was this unsettling sense of dread and worry. She hated it, she was angry with herself for feeling this way.

_Why?_

_Why?_

_She’s Supergirl. The job was important to her, giving her a sense of normality, she had voiced as much while she begged Cat not to fire her._

_Lies._

_All lies, Cat._

_She’s important._

_She’s important to me._

_No, it’s bad enough I’m having some sort of midlife crisis and lusting over my 24 year old assistant, but anything else is just preposterous._

_No. You’re wrong._

The more she thought about it the clearer it was. 

It made sense, why she hasn’t fired Kara already, why she kept pestering Winn for any information, why she was so obsessively looking through the Supergirl tag on social media on a daily basis to see if there was any news, any sighting, ANYTHING.

It wasn’t simply because she wanted her exceptional assistant back, no matter how much easier she made Cat’s life at work. 

She missed the person behind the job, she missed the impossibly endearing Sunny Danvers.

Cat bit her lip at the thought as her stomach flipped sickeningly, making her cringe. 

This was bad, this was so bad. She needed to fix this, somehow. 

Glancing at her glass she shrugged. Might as well. She downed the entire thing in one motion. She stood up and walked into her bedroom, leaving the sounds of the city behind her


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up with a pounding headache was never on Cat’s favourite things to do list.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!
> 
> Sorry it took so long, we changed some of the story and I kind of suck at writing cat so needed a lot of help from Octo. Anyway. Hope there's not a lot of mistakes in this one, we went through it a lot of times but yeah. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy! Leave a comment!!!

Waking up with a pounding headache was never on Cat’s favourite things to do list.

With a sharp pain at the base of her skull, Cat cracked her eyes open, grimacing as the sunlight made the pain worse. With a deep breath, she pushed off the bed, sitting on the edge, clenching the sheets in her hands as her movements caused another stabbing headache.

Turning carefully, Cat pushed off the bed with pure stubbornness, even if her body was screaming in agony at her last night’s escapades, grabbed some painkillers from her nightstand and made her way to the bathroom, in need of a cool shower.

As much as the shower helped, the pounding headache was still there, making her feel groggy and irritated at herself for consuming so much alcohol the previous night.

Her liver must be very happy today.

With a shake of her head she made her way to the bedroom again, her hair still wet and clinging to her cheeks as she opened the wardrobe fetching out the first comfortable pants and shirt she could find.

Not bothering with undergarments, Cat stretched her stiff muscles, wincing at the pain but pushing past it as she was determined to make the most of her day which essentially meant she was going to work until she passed out.

So, with new found enthusiasm Cat headed for the kitchen, looking for her favourite bowl and her hidden chocolate cereal that she kept stashed at the back of the cupboard - hidden from Carter - for such occasions like these when a monstrous hangover called for something disgustingly sugary to start her day.

With her breakfast ready, she put on the coffee, loving the smell that started to spread pleasantly through her penthouse. 

She found the pleasant silence of her routine allowed her mind to wander, dangerously close to Supergirl, she mentally slapped herself and instead thought off all the mistakes she’ll most likely be finding in the articles written by incompetent peons later, when she’d gone through them.

There would be time later to continue to worry about her- the City’s, the City’s hero, National City’s hero, the hero of National City - later. She’d already allowed herself to wallow enough for now.

She had shit to do.

With coffee and breakfast ready, Cat made her way into her home office – it was one of the reasons she bought this place, the private office – and buried herself into work, scanning papers of text, fixing the mistakes with her red pen and huffing in frustration at the mediocre work of her staff.

Her ‘Fire These Idiots’ list got quite longer over the weekend.

\---

Keeping herself busy the following week, Cat found the productivity of her employees stagger.

It’s not like owning CatCo was stressful enough, no, people needed to make her days hell by giving her half-assed work.

Sighing Cat dropped her pen and looked out the bullpen, her eyes narrow and face scrunched up in distaste, watching her employees skitter about doing their jobs, poorly.

Something wasn’t quite right, the atmosphere seemed to be gloomy. Her eyes darted to the empty desk of her assistant.

Everyone was feeling the absence of walking ball of sunshine that was Kara Danvers, it seemed.

Cat couldn’t take much more of this, it was downright depressing, the sullen faces and slumped shoulders of her staff made her skin itch. Standing from her chair she walked to her office door, swinging them open and addressed the occupants of the bullpen.

“I know Keira is not here at the moment, but that doesn’t mean any of you can slack off.” With a focused glare around the office - making sure her icy stare was felt personally by everyone - she nodded, satisfied with her reminder of her authority before she closed her glass doors again, returning to her desk and continued to busy herself with layouts finding it hard to focus.

Furrowing her brows in irritation, Cat leaned back in her chair, taking a moment to calm her agitated mood, taking slow, deep breaths. 

Somehow Kara managed to become an irreplaceable link in CatCo, Cat had noticed how many of her employees always came to Kara for advice, generally to check in before hand if the work they intended to hand in was decent enough to even pass through Cat Grant’s office doors. Kara had become the last stop before anything reached Cat’s desk, be it legal forms or pictures for the press. Everything got pre approved by Kara and as the girl was AWOL, the whole staff of CatCo seemed to have taken a toll on people’s productivity, or lack of it. 

It was quite ridiculous that Kara was that essential to the whole CatCo environment and inner workings, really, considering CatCo worked just fine before she showed up, but the warm and always bright, positive energy from the girl was infectious, and hard to forget or ignore. Not to mention the girl knew pretty much everyone’s name in the building, even the janitors and cleaning crew. 

So, it wasn’t just work that was affected by Kara’s absence, it was the people themselves, Kara had an effortless ability to worm her way into people’s lives, she was friends with practically anyone and everyone. If Kara didn’t like you, at this stage, you had to be some kind of puppy strangling maniac. She knew everyone’s birthdays, and was regularly invited to eat copious amounts of birthday cake on several different floors each week - Cat knew this, because it seemed every other day Kara practically skipped back onto her floor with a new colour of frosting smudged across her infuriatingly perfect mouth, Cat often found herself aching to reach out and wipe it off, or kiss it off-

Shaking her head, Cat focused back on her work again, carefully eying the new Trib articles, picking them apart piece by piece, marking the smallest off points with her red marker. 

Honestly, how did half of these rookie mistakes make it into the final pre print, anyway?

Pushing the papers to the edge of her desk, ruffling a small pile of layouts from earlier that day, her eyes were drawn to a set of forms she hadn’t seen before. 

They were lying below the layouts, hiding unnoticed from Cat this whole time. 

With a sigh, she took the papers in her hands, carefully reading every word, even the small text at the edges of it. 

Not finding any flaws - for a change - Cat picked up her pen, ready to sign them only to be disappointed when the writing implement couldn’t even do it’s job. Accusingly looking at it, she grimaced her face in irritation as it seemed that not even the inanimate objects were ready to do their jobs this week. 

Huffing she dropped it on her desk, a small click of its fall echoing in her ears as she looked out the window, finding some comfort in the clear skyline view of her city.

A soft buzzing that indicated a headache coming on, alerted her of her caffeine deficiency but just the thought of Winn’s disgusting coffee prepared in the staff break room - in the microwave - that was always lukewarm made her cringe in disgust, a visible shiver running through her body at the thought alone. 

With her need for proper coffee Cat decide on getting her coffee herself, as she needed a scalding hot one to wash away all the bitter taste from her mouth that was there due to stress. 

So with her mind set, and rather looking forward to a proper coffee, she headed for her private elevator.

With a stern face she exited the building, ignoring the looks the security gave her – not used to Cat Grant leaving her building without anything on her, not her purse or jacket, in the middle of the day.

She huffed as she crossed the road, annoyed at the uneven surface that made her ankles strain as she balanced herself on her high heels, slightly regretting her decision to get the coffee herself. Finally seeing the big Noonan’s sign above the entrance to the coffee shop, she felt relieved, practically able to taste the coffee on her tongue already.

Entering and walking over to the counter she cut the line and gave her order.

As a customer was about to comment on her dramatic entry she turned and gave them the Cat Grant Glare™, shutting them up effectively, and probably shaving a few years off their life as a pleased smile graced her features, she turned back to barista who was holding her order now.

“Haven’t had someone pick up your coffee in a while, Miss Grant.” The barista offered a small smile.

Not feeling like having small talk, Cat shrugged in response.

Sliding a ten dollar note over the counter, not bothering to wait for the change before she turned on her heels and without any further delays, she strutted out of the coffee shop, her head high and coffee in hand.

As she was walking back she noticed a suspicious black SUV parked at the front of the building, with an equally suspicious government looking type stood in front of it, arms crossed and waiting.

Narrowing her eyes Cat glanced toward the top of her building, as if scrutiny alone would allow her to see who was visiting, feeling dread settle in the pit of her stomach.

Picking up her pace, Cat entered the building, rushing towards her private elevator.

The last time the ‘Men in Black’ showed up, was when Livewire decided to trash her building with her silly grudge and the fact that the same kind of people were there, right in that moment, made her suspicious and nervous at the same time. Biting the plastic lid, she furrowed her brows in thought.

As the elevator dinged, she pushed off the rail and with a confident strut - effectively masking her apprehension - headed for her office only to stop when she saw three ‘certain’ people walking for the employee elevators.

Changing her direction, Cat walked towards the trio that was chatting animatedly at the elevators, with a raised eyebrow.

With unamused tone, Cat spoke.

“Where do you two think you are going?”

She pointed at the two of her employees, her eyebrows raised in question, as James and Winn snapped their heads towards her, their eyes bulging as they nervously fidgeted on the spot.

Their eyes flicking between each other, trying desperately to come up with an excuse, which would most likely consist of something like a broken printer considering their track record with lies - Cat knew her printers were perfectly fine, she’d enquired with maintenance herself after the 30th time Kara had used the excuse - when Alex stepped forward giving Cat a challenging glare, saving the super minions.

Cat’s eyebrow arched in amusement, popping out her hip, preparing to enjoy this conversation to the fullest.

“Agent Scully, to what do we owe the pleasure?” Cat’s tone was dripping with sarcasm and her signature bite.

Rolling her eyes, Alex motioned for the two men to get in the elevator and wait for her.

Before Cat could argue Alex stepped forward, lifting her hands to silence Cat.

“They’re accompanying me, I’ll have them back before you know it”

Cat narrowed her eyes and furrowed her brows, tilting her chin up, disappointed at the vague excuse.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to give me a better reason than that, for whisking away my employees during work hours” she paused a second as she put two and two together, suddenly realising what this was actually about.

Stepping forward, Cat was mere inches from Alex’s face, to Alex’s merit, she did not step back.

“Is this about Kara? Where is she? Do you know where she is?”

Alex looked back at the two men, Winn was stood nervously in the doorway of the elevator, holding the door open, his eyes glancing between her and Cat.

With a small sigh, Alex ran an exasperated hand through her hair.

“You go on ahead and wait in the car.”

Watching the elevator close, Alex pinched the bridge of her nose, annoyed, as every simple task these days turned into a field mission.

She told Kara working for legendary journalist was a bad idea, but the Kryptonian insisted - apparently that was the only way for Kara to change the world without exposing her powers - especially since Cat could sniff out a liar from miles away, not to mention Kara’s disastrous lying skills bought her a few days, maybe a week, after Supergirl appeared, before Cat put the pieces together. 

Feeling a small headache coming on, Alex sighed and glanced up at Cat from the corner of her eyes.

“I hoped this would be easier.”

Cat arched a perfectly manicured brow questioningly but before she enquired further she noticed the small audience of prying eyes from the bullpen.

Cat’s steely gaze swept across the staring employees who instantly found something far more interesting to be doing.

She turned back to Alex, giving her a pointed look.

“My office, I want answers.” When Alex didn’t budge, Cat sighed and softened her gaze, shoulders sagging slightly. It wouldn’t do her any favours to be demanding right now, she knew this, even if it was hard to step outside of her comfortably blunt and sharp approach. “Please”

If Cat’s soft tone surprised Alex, she didn’t show it, instead mirroring Cat, relaxing her posture, as she sighed. “Alright”

As Alex followed Cat through the bullpen, her employees tried to subtly glance at them as they walked past, Alex focused on the smaller woman in front of her, striding with purpose and confidence that Alex wasn’t entirely sure was completely genuine right now. She couldn’t help noticing that she looked tired, even her pristine makeup wasn’t hiding all the evidence of someone desperately trying to cover up the physical toll of sleepless nights - Alex knew all too well what sleepless nights looked like and wondered if Kara’s absence had something to do with it.

She’d noticed how fondly Kara talked of Cat, despite how much of a hardass the woman appeared to be - and Alex had heard plenty of stories about that too - she’d noticed that Kara was complaining less and less about Cat, and instead her voice took on a soft, almost shy tone whenever she spoke of her boss. Alex knew her little sister was crushing something awful on the Queen of All Media, but she couldn’t help but wonder if their relationship had grown into some - albeit weird - friendship. 

Motioning for Alex to sit on one of the couches, Cat walked over to her bar, picking out the best scotch, stalling a moment as she tried to calm her mind, preparing herself for the conversation that was about to happen. With a slight tremble in her hand, Cat poured two glasses, slipping in a few cubes of ice in each before sitting down opposite the agent, setting the other glass down on the coffee table and motioned for Alex to take it with a small gesture of her hand. 

Cat had a feeling she was definitely going to need this drink.

“I want answers, Agent Scully, before I even think of letting you take my employees.”

Alex studied Cat for a moment, trying to figure out what the woman’s deal was.

There was one thing Alex still needed to confirm, even if Winn told her that Cat knew, Alex needed to hear it for herself, from Cat’s mouth in order to be sure, because when it came ot her sister, Alex was all or nothing. 

There were two options as to why Cat Grant wanted to know things. She either wanted another story for her glorious newspaper or maybe, just maybe, the vibe Alex was getting was the truth and Cat, in her weird way, cared about Kara.

To be honest, Alex hoped it was out of worry, because if Cat thought Alex was going to deal with a hungry journalist itching for a story, Cat had another thing coming, not just the DEO but Alex ‘Fight Me’ Danvers. 

Narrowing her eyes, Alex tried to figure out what Cat was actually after, sipping her drink while contemplating the woman across from her, her brows raising in pleasant surprise as she appreciated a good quality scotch. Cat gave her a smug smile in response, pleased with Alex’s reaction. 

“You like it?”

Alex nodded, humming. “It’s good.”

That earned a scoff “Of course it's ‘good’, though I didn’t invite you in here just to appreciate my 25yr Macallan.”

After a another long sip, hissing slightly at the burn at the back of her throat, Alex lowered the glass back on the coffee table, leaning her elbows on her on her knees as she went over the words in her head, deciding on the best approach to the matter.

“Is this off the record?”

Lifting her head slightly, Alex watched Cat with a sharp eye, ready to watch every motion the woman made with scrutinizing focus, even the slightest pause in her actions. 

Cat only gave Alex a nod in response, her eyes seeming honest.

With a sigh, Alex finally addressed Cat’s obvious concern, at least for the theft of her employees.

“I’m taking Winn and James to see Kara. Winn mentioned you are aware of her...” Purposefully trailing off, on the off chance that Winn’s sputtering outburst earlier, when Alex had arrived, telling her that Cat Grant - Queen of all Media - knowing her sister’s alter ego was a mistake, giving the smaller woman the option to fill in her own response. If she was wrong, and all Cat knew was that Kara was missing and Alex had answers, then Alex wasn’t walking herself - or her sister - into an unnecessary reveal.

Cat lowered her glass, a small smile trying to curl the corner of her lips as the news that Kara was, in fact, alive brought her some relief. 

Kara was alive, that’s a start, now she needed to know more. Is Kara ok? Where is she? Why hasn’t she been back?

Steeling herself, Cat settled her features into something close to mild frustration. She’d be damned if she’d let anyone see how this was affecting her. Cat Grant did not do vulnerability. She’d realised quickly - at a very young age - that leaving yourself so obviously open only allowed veritable vultures to swoop in and pick away at, weakness, her mother pecked away enough that the lesson was heavily ingrained in her skin, her bones.

“Yes, yes, I know my fumbling assistant is the caped hero, soaring around National City these days.” Raising her brows in disbelief that Alex even had to ask, slightly offended by the presumption that she wouldn’t see through the lies and the awkward excuses.

Honestly, she was Cat fucking Grant, how could she not have known about Kara?!

Dismissing her now genuine frustration, Cat eyed the agent, before speaking again. 

“Since we established that, let us move on.” Fluttering her hand, Cat sipped at her drink, humming in satisfaction. 

Alex rolled her eyes at the smug demeanor of the woman in front of her.

Of course Cat would have known. Of course. 

With the metaphorical cards on the table, Alex knew she needed to tread carefully as this was her sister and no one messes with her sister, not even Cat Grant.

The two women glared unmoving at one another from across the coffee table, refusing to give any leeway, waiting to see who’d crack first.

Apparently, that was Cat.

With a glance at her shoes, Cat sighed, shoulders sagging as she looked back to Alex, brows raising slightly in an almost pleading way as she leaned forward, her next question tumbling out before she could stop herself.

“Where is she?” She winced, hearing the obvious desperation in her own voice.

Alex tensed, knowing she couldn’t really give a straight answer.

Not only was the location of the DEO classified, but it technically didn’t even exist. 

Thinking of a way out, Alex found herself considering her next words very carefully, she could just refuse to answer - though she didn’t think Cat would respond well to that, and Alex was tired, exhausted even from sleepless weeks watching over her sister - she certainly couldn’t just divulge the location either, her brow creased in conflict as she chanced a glance up at Cat. 

The blonde was starting to look irritated at Alex’s silence, fidgeting and huffing but obviously trying to be on her best behavior, Alex’s mouth twitched watching the tiny woman fight to keep a snappy demand to herself, she didn’t come across as a very patient woman, but she was trying. 

As Alex continued to fail to respond, Cat’s eye twitched, her patience wearing thin. The week she had, had been anything short of a disaster. 

Feeling her frustration skyrocket, Cat gripped her glass tighter, the knuckles on her hand whitening, jaw clenching as she attempted to steel herself as an outburst now would undoubtedly ruin any chance of her finding out if Kara was ok, and where the hell she even was. 

So she tried her best to keep her cool.

Unfortunately today just wasn’t her day.

With a heavy hand, Cat’s glass clinked loudly against the coffee table as the last of her patience flew right out the window. Narrowing her eyes she fixed Alex with an icy glare.

The sound startled Alex, braking her form her thoughts.

Looking up into startlingly focused eyes, Alex barely registered the glare directed at her before Cat began talking, her tone low and dangerous. 

“Don’t even think about giving me that, it’s ‘classified’ bullshit” Cat stressed the word, air quotes punctuated with slender fingers as her jaw tightened, voice straining with irritation. She was not about to be blindsided in this. “I have more dirt on the government than you can imagine, Agent Scully. Things even YOU don’t have clearance to know about.” Leaning further forward, Cat’s eyes darkened. “So let’s make a deal. You take me to see Kara and I don’t expose all the dirty little secrets I have collected over my significant years in this industry. Because trust me, that list is so long it’ll make your head spin.”

Cat didn’t waver despite threatening a government agent, fully prepared to go all out in case Alex decided to be difficult. Hell, she’d go toe to toe with this khaki wearing bob cut sporting SOMETHING, she’d lose, badly, but she’d be damned if she didn’t get at least one hit in, the heels of her shoes were really friggin sharp and she wasn’t opposed to stabbing someone with them if need be. If it meant she got to see her Ka- assistant, her assistant.

Never backing down, Cat wasn’t about to start now.

Unflinching, Alex leaned back into the couch, debating with herself for a moment.

There was a possibility that Cat was just bluffing, but knowing Cat’s reputation and the rumors surrounding her notorious Black Book of Secrets - one whose myth had many overfed state senators sweating profusely - Alex had to think twice before just dismissing the threat.

Before Alex could even address Cat Grant pulling a rhetorical shitstorm down on the government, the CEO continued.

“I’ll sign whatever you want, put a black baggy over my head, anything.”

Biting her lip, Cat cursed under her breath at how pathetic she sounded, practically pleading, but the answers she sought were so close, almost within her grasp if she just stayed patient for a tad longer. 

She could do that. For Kara.

“Ok.” A simple answer echoed in her ears, catching Cat by surprise.

Not many people could make Cat Grant speechless but the Danvers sisters seemed to have a talent for it.

Alex gave her a half smile in amusement as she watched the woman struggle for words.

Running her hand through her hair, relaxing slightly, she decided that Cat Grant - despite having a weird way of showing it, in Alex’s opinion - cared about her sister, and deserved an explanation.

Her sister’s fondness for the older woman obviously wasn’t as one sided as Alex had thought.

“There was a fight, as you know.” Alex tightened her lips and flicked her hand towards the TV’s behind Cat’s desk. Which were still running the now two week old clips of Supergirl’s last appearance, it was still fresh in everyone’s minds. The current Big Debate about the reason behind Supergirl’s sudden vanishing act.

“That idiot blew out her powers and fell from 10,000 feet and now she’s lying in bed, with broken bones and slipping in and out of consciousness.”

The quiet horrified gasp from Cat didn’t go unnoticed.

Trying to keep her mind off the fact that Kara’s state still wasn’t stable, Alex downed the rest of her scotch, watching as Cat rose to her feet, and slowly shuffled across to her bar, refilling her drink with trembling hands.

Cat threw back two fingers of scotch in one go before turning to Alex, giving her a tight smile as she set down her glass and wiped the sudden sweat from her hands unceremoniously over her skirt. 

Straightening and regaining the air of complete and utter composure - so quickly that Alex briefly thought she’d imagined Cat Grant trembling and looking sickeningly pale for a moment - she strode across the room and rounded her desk, taking her bag and jacket before looking at Alex with a raised eyebrow as she motioned to the doors leading out of her office.

“Shall we, Agent Scully?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The moment Cat got comfortable in the SUV she rested her chin on her hand and stared out the window as she lost herself in her thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for waiting and we are really sorry for the wait. I had some trouble with writing this chapter, it just didn't sound right and it took me ages to fix it and then we got busy with life and finally Octo had time to help me fix the grammar an flush out the words. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

The moment Cat got comfortable in the SUV she rested her chin on her hand and stared out the window as she lost herself in her thoughts.

The voices of James and Winn were becoming distant and at some point all she could hear was her own thoughts, replaying the memories.

Memories of Kara.

When she thought about it, it really was ridiculous how much she could actually remember, how many small things, things she never bothered to memorise about her other employees, things that - for some reason – she had memorised about Kara.

Cat found herself thinking of Kara’s habits, ones that Cat found endlessly endearing – though she would never, ever admit it – how Kara would scrunch up her entire face in concentration while reviewing layouts with Cat late at night, how she’d sometimes stick her tongue out when something really required her attention. Her nervous twitches, reaching for glasses that she apparently **didn’t** need after all, endlessly fiddling with them as she shifted her weight between her feet while trying to come up with elaborate excuses for her absence.

Her tells when she was unsure, wringing her hands in front of herself until they were pink, how she’d glance to the floor and chuckle, her cheeks colouring delightfully after Cat had offered even the most casual of compliments about her work, or performance or even a particular item of clothing that didn’t cause Cat’s eyeballs to melt in her skull. That was Cat’s favourite habit, she thought fondly watching the scenery whip by, a small upwards curl to the corner of her mouth.

A sudden stop made Cat finally look around with focus, taking in her surroundings. Her eyes settled on Winn, who was fidgeting next to her. Lifting her brow in question she was interrupted by a folder shoved in front of her face.

Fixing James with a glare, Cat lingered just long enough to see James swallow before she snatched the file from his hands.

Turning in her seat, Alex looked at Cat, nodding at the files.

“I need you to sign some papers, Miss Grant, before you can see Kara.”

With exasperated huff Cat rolled her eyes as she fetched her glasses out of her bag before opening the file. Her eyes were quickly drawn to the bold letters on the paper and a small smirk appeared on her lips as she realized what it was.

_NDA. Of course._

Settling back in her seat, she took the papers out of the file and carefully read over them, memorising every detail about it.

Glancing at the rear view mirror, Alex noted the concentrated look on Cat’s face, glad that the CEO was at least attempting to play ball, this way things would at least go a little smoother when Hank realised just who would soon be sauntering into his base, she shook her head at the thought.

_He’s going to kill me._

Cat finally finished reading through the papers after twenty minutes and with her last signature, she took her glasses off, storing them in their folder.

With a sigh, she closed the file, looking over the folder again before she stretched her arm out and tapped James on his shoulder with the file.

Alex glanced at Cat from the corner of her eye, a thankful smile gracing her lips.

“I thought you’d fight me on this, to be honest, Miss Grant.”

Shrugging, Cat turned back to the window, ready to get lost in her thoughts again.

A thank you was the last thing Cat heard as she got comfortable in her seat.

The next time the car stopped, Cat took in her surroundings only to be met with a large concrete and metal wall.

Blinking at the change, she looked around and saw a large hanger with a few different army vehicles.

Taking everything in, Cat almost missed a woman approaching her side of the door.

The door clicked open and the woman gave her a small smile.

“Here you go, Miss Grant.”

Eying the woman suspiciously, Cat unclipped her seatbelt and stepped out of the car, her eyes wide with surprise and wonder, so many questions forming in her brain.

A tap on her shoulder.

Snapping her head around, Cat gave her attention to the agent.

“I’m Agent Vasquez.”

Before Cat could respond, Alex dismissed Vasquez with a stern nod and an ‘I got this.’ before she pulled Cat to the side and narrowed her eyes at the CEO.

Apparently her silence, and staring, lasted a little too long for the media moguls tastes as a perfectly shaped eyebrow was raised in question “Yes?” Cat huffed out, cocking her hip and thumping her palm to rest against it.

Alex sighed, she was never one for carefully formed sentences, that wasn’t her expertise; punching and shooting things was. So, deciding to stick to her strengths Alex went for blunt and direct.

“Look, my sister talks about you. A lot.” Alex rolled her eyes at the memory, endless hours of movie night interrupted with _‘Miss Grant is amazing, Miss Grant was flawless today how she handled the board, Oh my God Alex do you know what Miss Grant did today? You won’t believe it –‘_

Alex paused as she wasn’t sure where she was going with this but she needed to say it, none the less.

“To be honest, James would have been a safer option for her, with you being…..y’know, ‘the Queen of All Media’.” She punctuated the title with air quotes. Continuing in a muttered tone “But Kara’s never been one for safe, let’s be honest.”

Cat’s brows furrowed, she was getting more and more confused by this conversation.

“Safer... option?”

Alex nodded in response, crossing her arms over her chest. Seemingly oblivious to the petite blonde in front of her having not a single fucking clue what was going on right now.

“Kara is good. She’s kind and she sees so much good in people, just,” Alex gave Cat an almost pleading look. “Just don’t hurt her, OK? Or..well.” She indicated to the building around her.

Cat, still confused, nodded slowly.

Alex hummed in reply seemingly pleased with the response and wearing a very self-satisfied expression, heading off out of the hanger and into a hallway, not waiting to see if Cat was actually following her or not.

Cat stood alone for short moment, wearing a dumbfounded expression as her brain quickly recounted the conversation. “..What?” She scrunched up her brows.

 _Safer option?_ “Wait... what?”

And then it hit her like a slap to the face, Alex Danvers had just given Cat Grant the Shovel Talk.

“WHAT?” Cat’s eyes bulged as she quickly spun on her heels and scurried after Alex. “Wait!”

Cat reached the end of hallway and into a small room lined with elevators, Alex was there, but so were several other agents, this conversation would have to continue later Cat decided, huffing to herself as she sidled up alongside the older Danvers and waited for the doors to open.

As the elevators descended, Cat was hit with the smell of disinfectant, making her stomach twist.

Pausing for a moment, she covered her mouth feeling somewhat nauseous, her eyes closed briefly in an attempt to fight back the sudden urge to gag - strong smells didn’t agree with her - and ever since the passing of her Father, disinfectant caused an immediate unpleasant reaction to both her stomach, and mind. The elevator doors opened and she sucked in a breath from the safety of her cupped hand, and stepped out.

She followed Alex around seemingly endless corridors passing rows and rows of rooms hidden behind guarded doors. Until after what seemed like at least 10 minutes of solid walking in – Cat realised with exasperation at the echo of her heels clicking along the concrete floors – incredibly unsuitable footwear, Alex paused and turned around.

The expression on Alex’s face was enough to know, Kara must be behind the door just behind her back. Nodding slightly at Alex, she watched the agent slowly turn and open the door.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Alex pushed open the door and walked into the room, holding it open for Cat.

The first thing Cat could hear from the room was the beeping of what must have been a heart monitor. With nervous steps, Cat walked through the doorframe, her eyes finding Kara motionless on a cold steel bed. Large lamps hung above her directing harsh rays onto Kara’s too still body.

Taking everything in, Cat slowly scanned Kara’s body, noting the IV’s that were attached to Kara’s arms, the wires for the heart monitor disappearing below the hospital gown. From the waist down, Kara was covered with a blanket, but Cat could make out the abnormal form that was where Kara’s right leg was supposed to be.

Looking at Alex, Cat lifted her brow in question.

Without delay, Alex offered her answers.

“Her right leg has multiple fractures, we are keeping her leg stable with external fixation until she heals enough to just put a cast on it.”

Alex paused and took the chart from Kara’s bed.

“Her brain was swollen, and still is, but the oxygen, medication and IV’s are helping, so thankfully no surgery needed there.” Alex sounded relieved.

“Her ribs are broken, luckily no punctures to her lungs, and besides those major traumas, just a few bruises.”

Putting the chart back down, Alex looked at Cat.

Still in the same place as when Alex started her explanation, Cat looked on the edge of tears now, her arms wrapped tightly around her abdomen as her other hand was covering her mouth, she was trembling, Cat was trying to calm herself and breath properly.

Walking over, Alex gave Cat’s shoulder a squeeze. She looked up and over Cat’s shoulder

“Winn, James.” Alex nodded at the two men.

Snapping her head around, Cat composed herself – having completely forgotten the presence of Kara’s friends - and nodded at the two men before she walked out of the room, not trusting herself to be there, in front of James and Winn in case she broke down.

There was no way in hell she’d let her employees see her reduced to a sobbing wreck.

Alex moved past her, seemingly having left the two men alone with their friend, Cat looked back at the room one more time before following Alex, seeing her slip into a room a few doors down back the way they came.

Closing the door behind them, Cat hesitated before taking a seat on the nearest chair, her body going limp, head rolling back as she sighed.

Alex sat on her lab chair, a small smile on her lips as she watched Cat appear to sink into the somewhat battered lumpy chair.

“She should be fine.” Alex offered but the uncertainty in her voice wasn’t missed by Cat’s trained ear.  

Leaning her elbows on her knees, Cat rested her head on her palms.

“Are you trying to convince yourself, Agent Danvers?”

Alex gave Cat a forced smile and shrugged.

They fell into silence with Alex looking over some paperwork and Cat watching the hallway through the window, to see when James and Winn would leave Kara’s room.

After what seemed like forever, Cat turned back to stare at the older Danvers’s back, their previous conversation in the hanger nagging at her mind while she worried her lip with her teeth.

“Are you trying to burn a hole in the back of my head?” Alex chuckled, turning her head to look over her shoulder just in time to catch Cat’s surprised expression.

“Oh. I..um, well,” Cat scoffed at herself, what was it about these sisters and their ability to render her unable to form a coherent sentence. Her fingers bunched in the fabric of her slacks as she steeled her features, coughing pointedly “About our earlier conversation, I’d like to clarify a few things, if I may.”

“You may.” Alex watched Cat with an amused expression, was Cat Grant nervous? She almost grinned at the thought, she’d have to tell Kara when she woke up.

“Well, when you said –“ Cat’s train of thought was cut off at the sound of a door closing in the hallway outside,  she turned her attention quickly out the small window seeing the two men leaving Kara’s room, their faces dark and solemn as they walked past the window, oblivious Cat was watching them.

With a deep breath, Cat stood from her chair and headed for the door, pausing with her hand on the handle.

“I’m going to see her.” It was quiet and Alex wondered if it was more of a reality check for Cat then a statement for Alex.

With quick motion, Cat closed the door behind herself and headed to Kara’s room.

She could feel her heart beating faster and her stomach twisting as the image of Kara in that bed and hooked up to all the devices and IV’s entered her mind.

She needed Kara to get better, she really needed Kara to get back to CatCo, back to her.

Pausing as she reached the room, Cat took one more calming breath, trying to settle her nerves as she gently turned the handle and entered the room.

Carefully, she closed the door, leaning on it as her eyes landed on Kara’s pale features, the breathing mask over her nose and mouth, tubes disappearing under even paler lips.

Cat let out a shuddering breath, before crossing the room.

Stopping at the bed, Cat just watched the hero for a moment, taking in the heaving of Kara’s chest, a proof that Kara was still alive.

With a quick glance to the door, making sure it was closed, Cat dragged a stool next to Kara’s bed, sitting and gently - with the same care she took when she first held the tiny frame of her precious Carter in her arms for the first time - took Kara’s hand.

It was cold.

She held it, her thumb slowly tracing circles over the back of Kara’s hand as she watched the hero’s face and listened to the soothing beeping of the heart monitor.

“You need to come back to me. I have things I need to tell you, Kara.” Cat smiled at the motionless hero, quickly swiping at her face to hide a few treacherous tears as the door to the room swung open.

Snapping her head around, Cat’s eyes landed on a blonde woman, her age.

Both of them looked each other up and down, before Cat stood from the bed and turned to face the visitor.

“I was just leaving.” Cat glanced back at Kara, smiling softly before she turned and began to walk out.

At the door, the woman stopped her.

Looking at the blocking arm in front of her, Cat narrowed her eyes at the stranger.

“I don’t think you should be here, Miss Grant.” There was something dangerous in the woman’s eyes, and Cat knew that look very well as she always had it when it came to her son’s wellbeing.

Relaxing, Cat looked at the floor and smiled, shaking her head slightly.

“Maybe, but here I am, aren’t I, Ms Danvers?” Glancing at the woman from the corner of her eye, smirking, Cat could see the slight surprise on Eliza’s face.

Using the distraction to her advantage, Cat sneaked under Eliza’s arm and successfully exited the room, about to run away from Eliza.

“Wait!”

Pausing in her step, Cat turned slowly, her eyes curious.

Eliza stepped right into Cat’s personal space, her hand lifted and one finger pointing at Cat.

“If you tell anyone, I swear…” Cat held up her hands, effectively silencing the obvious threat that was about to leave Eliza’s mouth.

“I care for Kara.” Looking up at Eliza, giving her the best of her compassionate looks hoping that Kara’s foster mother would see just how serious she was, Cat continued. “If I wanted to expose her, I could have done it already.”

Eliza was about to say something but the world suddenly seemed to slow and slip from under their feet as a loud flat tone froze the blood in their veins and alerted both women to the now thrashing form of Kara, her limbs jerking and violently spasming on the bed as the heart monitor displayed a single stark line on the display.

Her eyes widening in terror, Eliza ran across the room, checking the vitals.

The room became a muffled flurry of yelled voices and figures rushing past her, someone hit her shoulder hard as they barged past, Cat took in none of it. Her limbs falling limp at her sides as blood thundered deafeningly in her ears.

She watched with sickening horror as Kara’s body wretched one final time before going motionless.

Cat’s vision clouded and the world seemed to close in on her and drown her with incredible noise and incredible silence all at once.

She couldn’t breathe.

She couldn’t breathe.

Why couldn’t she breathe?

The monitor screeched out its high deafening tone as Kara’s heart stopped.

Someone was pulling her out of the room, an arm around her middle and Cat wanted to fight, wanted to scream and shout to let her back in but her body wasn’t responding, wasn’t listening to her brain, she couldn’t move.  

_Kara’s heart stopped._

_Kara just died._

Someone was hugging her and Cat was staring into the wide eyes of Alex Danvers, she was saying something, or screaming something, Cat couldn’t tell.

Her eyes widened with sickening realization and suddenly she was hit with overwhelming onslaught of a thousand different emotions at once, tearing her heart to pieces. Her arms shooting out and fingers clutched desperately at Alex’s shirt, holding on to the agent as if Cat’s life depended on it.

The ringing in Cat’s ears wasn’t enough to drown out the tortured sound of her screaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find us on tumblr under paucibet and supergaysupercat


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off I am really sorry for the long wait!!! But I finally managed to write this bastard and be happy with it, sort of! A big thank you to my wife supergaySupercat and shadhavar1126 for supporting me and giving me a push when I need one!!!

The first thing she noticed was cold. She was cold and the air around her seemed cold. 

There was a breeze against her cheek, it almost felt icy. 

Shivering, she tried to see where she was, but everything was pitch black. Even when she pushed out her hands in front of herself, she was greeted with vast nothingness.

Scrunching up her face in confusion she tried to use her powers. 

Nothing happened. 

Huffing, she closed her eyes and tried to focus on the sound.

That high pitched dull noise was coming from far far away but she could hear it, even if it was only faint. 

And then, a scream broke through, overpowering the dull noise, and something tugged at her heart. 

Shaking her head, she tried to listen for more.

The noise and the screaming stopped, replaced by slow beeping. 

It was soft and calming, somehow lazy, reminding her of the tempo of her own heart. 

_ My heart? _

Connecting the dots, she recognized the beeping as a heart monitor machine, beeping softly away.

_ Am I…? _

_ What happened? _

_ I… _

_ Non.  _

_ Falling.  _

Her train of thoughts were disturbed by a sudden change in temperature. 

Focusing on the sounds she could hear someone sniffle before a flood of words seemed to almost drown her senses, words she couldn’t decipher but the voice was soothing and reassuring, it felt familiar in a way.

_ “Kara.” _

There was only one person in the universe that said her name like that.

_ What is she doing here? How is she here?  _

As much as she tried, she couldn’t really understand what the voice was saying, her head was too full of racing thoughts she couldn’t quite sort, but a few bits and pieces seemed to seep through the white noise. 

As Kara repeated them, the image started to form in her mind, a few glimpses of memories flashing in her mind

She could remember fighting Non. Exchanging brutal blow for blow for what felt like hours.

She remembered blowing out her powers. Feeling the crippling burn of muscles fighting against her, feeling the deadened weight of her own limbs as she became not only, human, but weak and battered, broken. 

She remembered falling.

Something at the back of her mind started to buzz. It was like a constant irritating poking that was getting more and more overwhelming by the second, and as Kara tried to sort things out, to fit the pieces of this puzzle together, her brain eventually registered the buzzing as pain, burning through her rapidly awakening senses. She’d laugh - if she could - because of course the first sensation to greet Supergirl, the Girl of Steel, would be searing white with pain, enough to make her feel instantly nauseous.  

It was becoming increasingly hard to focus on what little flitting snapshots that her memory would allow, her stomach rolling with discomfort, she could feel her muscles begin to protest - loudly - at her, for allowing herself this amount of hurt. Just as the pain was becoming almost unbearable, she felt a sudden blanket of release, a warm and comfortable cloud of…. What she presumed were ‘the good drugs’ seeping into her system like the pleasurable almost intoxicating haze of comfort and bliss filled familiarity that was her own bed after such a trying and overall exhausting day

As the pain slowly dissipated, she was finally able to think again, the memories clearing up. 

_ I remember fighting Non and then falling. I can hear a heart monitor beeping in synch with my heart. _

Sighing, she didn’t really want to conclude what was quite obvious by this point, so instead she listened to the melodic voice, lulling her to sleep. 

By the time she was aware again, the air turned cold and the breeze was back, her cheeks feeling chilly and the only sound that was filling the silence was the dull constant beeping of  the heart monitor. 

As the time passed, the usually soothing beat of her own heart started to irritate her.

_ I would punch that thing if I could move my useless body, and not be just trapped in here. This is going to be fun, just like phantom zone... _

///

The drive back was spent in silence, both too drained from the day, letting their inner voices figure out in which box to put this whole mess of emotions and store it away, to deal with at a later time, with help of liquid courage. 

As much as she tried to focus on anything else, Cat’s mind seemed to have a different idea as the only thing that it was capable of doing was repeating the whole ordeal, over and over again. 

_ The high pitched beeping sent everyone in a state of frenzy. People rushed into the room, pushing her out of the way.  _

_ Instead of screams and frantic movements, she was overcome with silence, the only thing she heard was her own heartbeat, beating slowly, way slower than it should be.  _

_ Narrowing her eyes, her hand flat against her chest before her fingertips pulled on the silky fabric as she formed a fist, willing her lungs to work, trying desperately to breathe. _

_ It seemed like hours passed before she finally took a desperate breath, thanks to Alex hitting her back, stirring her nerve system awake.  _

_ Looking over her shoulder, opening her mouth to thank the agent, her voice failed her. There was soreness at the back of her throat.  _

_ Bending over, her hands on her knees she closed her eyes for a moment, clearing her throat as she took a few deep breaths before trying again.  _

_ “She’s fine, she’s back.”  _

For a moment she wondered if her masochistic side had anything to do with it, as this was pure torture, but on the other hand, she did need to deal with it, understand and sort her emotions. 

Rubbing her temple, she shuffled in her seat, slumping down into it as she glanced towards Alex. 

White knuckles were gracing Alex’s hands as the agent gripped the steering wheel as tightly as she could. 

Narrowing her eyes, Cat just watched Alex for a moment, grasping for words to dissolve the uncomfortable silence that settled in the car with the duo. 

“Alex, are you alright?” Cringing inwardly, she shook her head at the stupidity of the question. 

It couldn’t have been easy for Alex the past few weeks, trying to stay positive as Kara was just lying there, motionless, looking paler every day. Yet here she was, driving, holding it together, putting on the brave face. 

Opening her mouth, Alex cleared her throat, before letting out a well rehearsed and dismissive, “I’m fine.”

It wasn’t a surprise, the response. In fact Cat expected as much so she didn’t press on. Her eyes lingered on Alex’s tense aw for a moment, before she turned her head and looked out the window into the endless desert stretching out until horizon. 

Cat stayed quiet until they arrived at her penthouse. 

Unbuckling her seatbelt, she half turned towards Alex, hand gripping the rim of the door as the cool night air swept into the SUV. 

“Listen, Danvers.” Her voice was quieter and softer than usual, the soreness still present there from her primal scream earlier today. 

“I have a hefty supply of alcohol in my kitchen, and I am planning on reducing it. Join me?” It was a genuine question and Cat hoped Alex would accept. 

Tensing her jaw, Alex wanted to say no, wanted to leave and wallow on her own, in her own apartment with her own vodka, but the invitation involved free alcohol and judging by how luxurious Cat lived, her alcohol must be damn good. 

After a moment, Alex sighed and nodded. 

“Why the fuck not. Was planning something along those lines anyway.” Alex cracked a lopsided shadow of a smile as she pulled out the keys, her hands feeling heavy as she pushed the door open and exited the car. 

As they were leaving the DEO, alex left with only her t-shirt on and now, her hair stood on ends as the cold night slowly crept deeper and deeper, chilling her to the bones.  

Looking up, she made a dash for the door, Cat already turning the key. 

Not sure if she should take her boots off or not, Alex followed Cat’s example and slid her boots off, neatly putting them next to some sneakers before she followed Cat further into the house.  

With her hands in her pockets, Alex slowly walked in, the small corridor expanding into a big open living room. Behind her was a bar separating the kitchen. 

Cat glanced over her shoulder at Alex and pointed at the sofa as she turned towards the kitchen. 

With unsure nod, Alex rounded the sofa before sitting down, every muscle in her body stiff at the unfamiliar surroundings. 

Snapping her head around towards the clinking of glass, Alex saw Cat walking towards her with a bottle of vodka and two glasses. 

Lifting the bottle, Cat gave her a tired smile. 

“Come on, let’s drink.” 

Nodding, Alex watched the CEO swiftly open the bottle and pouring them each a glass before she set the bottle on a coaster and let the couch support her body as she collapsed in it. 

Leaning forward, Alex took her glass and downed it in one motion, not even taking the time to appreciate the taste. As she leaned back, the burn down her throat relaxing her, she could feel Cat piercing daggers through her head. 

Turning she saw the perfectly manicured eyebrow lift in disdain.  

“Alexandra Danvers, do you have any idea how that even tasted?” 

Shrugging, she pouring herself another drink and bringing it to her lips and taking a small sip. 

Pulling a face, Alex let the alcohol swirl around her mouth, the slight difference in taste to her usual vodka peaking her interest. 

Finally swallowing, she looked at her glass, sniffing before she looked at Cat and narrowed her eyes, not able to pinpoint what the actual difference was. 

“What is it? It’s vodka, but it’s a bit different.” 

Smiling, Cat took another sip, appreciating the unique taste, before she answered.  

“It’s actually made from milk. Top Cow. Lois sent it for christmas.” 

Narrowing her eyes in suspicion, Alex leaned forward. 

“Lois Lane?” 

Cat glanced sideways, lifting a brow at Alex. 

“Yes, why?”

Alex snorted a laugh, shaking her head. 

“She’s basically family.” Seeing Cat’s face grimace in confusion, Alex leaned her elbows on her knees, swirling her glass as she pressed a finger against her lips in shush motion. 

“Clark, is Kara’s cousin…” Alex waited a moment before Cat’s eyes bulged and her mouth opened. 

Before Cat could say anything, Alex shook her head, her hand covering her face, sighing. 

“Kara is going to kill me. No.” 

Closing her mouth, Cat let it go, but only because she might had her suspicions before. 

“Fine.” 

Taking another sip of her drink, Cat let out a long breath. She was over thinking everything, she knew that, but the awful truth was, she needed to think about everything, about every feeling and about every possible consequence if she confessed, not to mention every scenario if something actually happened between Kara and herself. 

Fixing her hair, Cat looked out the balcony, the city illuminating the night sky in a soft yellow light. 

“What’s bothering you?” 

There was no avoiding this conversation, really, and Cat knew one of the reasons to ask Alex to stay was this, that talking with Alex would maybe help her sort out her feelings for Kara. 

Looking at Alex, Cat swiveled her glass nervously in her hands. 

“What did you mean back at the DEO, when you basically gave me the shovel talk? Not like it was necessary in any kind of way, for the record.”

Snickering, Alex took a sip of her vodka, thinking for a moment. 

“Listen, my sister, she likes you. Like a lot, and that’s putting it lightly.”

Cat raised her brow at the statement, making her lean forward and listen carefully. 

“She talks about you like all the fucking time, I’m so done with it.” Grimacing, Alex started to imitate Kara. 

“ _ Miss Grant looked flawless today. Cat had that blue dress on today, that fits her perfectly and had the zipper on the back. This morning she fired the PR guy and I don’t think a person could look so attractive when firing someone, but Cat manages it.” _

Alex paused, taking a sip before propping a leg on a sofa, turning towards Cat. 

“Oh, this one is my favourite.” Alex finished her drink before she put her glass down on the coffee table and lifted her hands, her face scrunching up, pretending to cry. 

“ _ Cat said my name, Alex, she said my name. Not Kira but the real one, she called me Kara, Alex. _ ”

Finishing off with light laughter, she watched Cat’s cheeks flush for a moment before the Queen of all Media composed herself, clearing her throat and pretending like the words hadn’t affected her. 

“She just has a crush on me. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had a crush on their boss, Alex.”

With a small flutter of her hand, Cat dismissed Alex’s words. 

Shaking her head, Alex poured herself another drink.

“This is way more than a crush, Cat, trust me, I should know.”

Lifting the glass and downing it, Alex looked at Cat. “And I think you know it too. There’s no way you haven’t noticed her lingering dreamy eyes, how she follows you around and tends to your every need.”

A pointed look in Alex’s direction only made her push further. 

“And you. You definitely feel something more for Kara, since you dropped everything today just to see her. You went into some shady government facility in the middle of nowhere, with the possibility of never seeing the sun ever again.” 

Lifting her brow as she watched Cat sitting silent next to her. 

Sighing, she lifted her hands in the air as if to surrender. 

“Unless I misread you and you have maternal feelings towards my sister.”

A mouthful of vodka ended up sprayed on the coffee table as Cat choked on her drink at that suggestion.

Pointing at cat, Alex grinned, trying her best not to burst out laughing. 

“There’s my answer then.” 

Coughing up the vodka from her lungs, Cat finally took a deep breath, her sore throat feeling even worse now. Collapsing against the backrest of the sofa, she closed her eyes, feeling her resolve to deny the assumption melt away with tiredness.  

“I assure you, Agent, there’s not a single maternal thought in my head about your sister.” 

Grimacing, Alex lifted her hands to stop cat before she heard more than she wanted to.

“Woah, woah, slow down, I don’t need to know the nasty stuff.” Downing another glass, Alex visibly shivered. “She’s still my sister, Grant.”

Cat averted her eyes, focusing on the coffee table, the reflection of it suddenly the most interesting thing in the world. 

Letting the CEO recover from the slip, Alex poured them both another glass, this time double as she was certain they need it after that. 

For a moment, Cat narrowed her eyes in thought before looking at Alex, her expression serious.

“What did you mean by ‘James would be the safer option’?” 

She didn’t really wanted to know, too scared that every insecurity would be reaffirmed.

Thinking for a moment, Alex smiled before offering her answer. 

“He’s not in the public’s eye - at least not constantly - he’s around the same age, he’s… well, the normal option.” Alex paused, realizing why Kara must have said she had a crush on James. “The normal option. That’s what she always ever tried to be; to be normal, to fit in.” 

Feeling her stomach twist with sickening guilt, she downed another shot.

Shaking her head to get her mind straight, she continued.  

“But Kara wants you. She’s been in love with you since she got to know you. She loves everything about you.”

Pausing Alex was slowly realizing what was going on, how Kara must have felt. With distant eyes and a bittersweet smile, Alex continued, not aware she was saying things out loud.

“What if every man she ever dated was just because she wanted to fit in?” Alex’s voice was barely above a whisper, her head resting on her hands.

The guilt that started to spread through her body made her feel sick, the bitterness of even thinking she’d pushed Kara into relationships.

Shaking her head, Alex cleared her throat rubbed her hands together, feeling antsy.

“When Kara came into my life, my parents told her to always try and fit in, to be normal. I know they just tried to protect her the best way they knew how, but to Kara it must have meant you also aren’t supposed to like women. It’s not like it was a taboo on Krypton but here, being Gay or Bi or anything but Straight, meant she wouldn’t fit in.” 

Looking at her hands, Alex wondered if maybe coming to Kara with her own sexuality would make a difference, would help Kara fit in, tell her she’s not alone. 

Reaching out, Cat placed her hand on Alex’s knee and squeezed slightly, bringing Alex back to the present, out of her own head. 

“Alex, you don’t know if anything you are saying right now is true. She might just like everyone, no matter the gender.” 

Finally looking up, Alex tried to find some answers that Cat couldn’t offer. 

“Just because she has a crush on me doesn’t mean all her previous relationships were a fraud, or that she is a lesbian.”

Finally realizing what Cat was trying to say, Alex nodded, still feeling the nagging of the guilt, making a mental note to talk to Kara once she woke up. 

Nodding in response, Cat retrieved her hand and downed her drink. 

Huffing, Alex shook her head and followed Cat’s example downing another drink. 

Letting the liquid burn down her throat soothe her nerves, Alex relaxed against the sofa, looking up at the white ceiling. 

“I think the alcohol is starting to affect my judgement.” A lazy smile spread on her lips, her eyes half closed as she felt the pull of sleep at the back of her mind. 

Rubbing her eyes, Alex sighed. 

“I think it’s time to head out. Sleep it off.” But she didn’t move, she just stayed sat against the sofa, indulging in the last moment of comfort before she had to leave. 

Checking the time, Cat hummed as she placed her glass on the coffee table. 

“Nonsense. You can take the spare bedroom, or the couch if you prefer. No point in leaving now, just to come back tomorrow to pick up the car.”

If Alex wasn’t so exhausted she’d argue but her eyesight was getting blurry and her body was slowly shutting down, ready for sleep, so with a nod, she waited until she felt Cat stand up before she slid down on her side and fell asleep. 

Before Cat even reached the hallway, she could hear light snoring from the sofa. Looking over her shoulder she rolled her eyes, envious of how fast Alex fell asleep knowing she’ll hardly sleep. 

She got spare sheet from the wardrobe in the hallway, walked back into the living room and dropped it over Alex. 

  
“Get some sleep, Danvers.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed the fic please leave a comment and kudos, it honestly brigtens my day!

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed the fic please leave a comment and kudos, it honestly brigtens my day!


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